Errare Humanum Est
by Magical Me6666
Summary: Everyone makes mistakes. It's what we learn from them, and what we learn of eachother during the aftermath that counts. That way, no mistake is ever pointless.


**Title: **Errare Humanum Est

**Rating: **T

**Synopsis: **Betty has a bit of a scare.

**Notes: **Sort of a humanizing Betty story, reminding us we can all make mistakes. I love Betty so much, sometimes I want to see a more vulnerable side to her.

_He smells of stale cigarette smoke, _Betty thought suddenly. It was odd that this should pop into her head as she's pressed against her front door, kissing the life out of a man who is by all means her opposite. It is true she's had a few too many mojito's, they kind of made her dizzy and light headed, and she cursed Amanda for leaving her alone. If Amanda hadn't have disappeared she wouldn't be standing here, gripping on to his arms to stay upright.

_Ohhh muscly..._

He pulled back, a smile ghosting his handsome face. And Betty knew handsome – she had a lot to compare it to, the amount of male models she sees in her job. It suddenly occurred to her, this man could easily be one, except he exuded a type of charm and intelligence that no model Betty had ever met had.

"Are you going to invite me in?" he said in a husky way that made her shiver.

"Um...uh...yeah...I have coffee. But it's a bit late for coffee, I have milk if you'd pr-oh!"

Suddenly his hand wasn't resting on her hip anymore and Betty felt tingly all over.

"I don't want a drink," he whispered, his tongue flicking against her earlobe. Every fibre of her being was screaming not to do it. To send him away, she was not that type of girl, and this is certainly not something she would do sober. But then again when and where would an opportunity pass like this? Betty was truly happy with her life, she was happy with her ex boyfriends, to her they were amazingly gorgeous, but this man, this mysterious man, was a once in a lifetime opportunity. He had pulled back again and stared down at her eyes reflecting from huge red rimmed glasses.

"Ok..." she agreed quietly before planting a feather light kiss on his lips. She turned around struggling to get the key in the lock, distracted by her dizzy head and the feeling of his chest pressed urgently against her back. Her hands trembled excitedly and she nearly dropped her key when she felt his lips on the back of her neck.

"Anytime tonight," he mumbled against her skin, his hand on her lower back. She found it oddly sexy that he couldn't wait to get her inside and this just made her more nervous. Somehow, someway she managed to force her front door open and they stumbled inside, as he kicked it shut behind them.

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"Here's your morning paper Daniel, and a black coffee," Betty smiled, placing both items on his desk in front of him. He looked up at her with a small smile, still flicking through a mountain of files piled on his desk.

"Thanks Betty," he breathed, then reached across his desk to pull forward his soft cheese bagel in front of her, "Oh and could you get me another one of these, this one tastes weird."

Her stomach churned, and colour soaked from her skin. The sudden change did not go unnoticed to Daniel and he frowned.

"Betty...you ok?" he asked, examining her pale face. Her hand shot to cover her mouth and she nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied, "I'm just not feeling too well today, could you get Amanda to possibly go get you another one?"

"You haven't been looking well this past week, you coming down with something?" he asked. His concern touched her; he was really learning to be considerate. Daniel was one of the few things in her life right now she was proud of. She made a mental note to tell him that sometime.

"Yeah I think I might be getting a stomach flu..." she sighed her hand falling to her belly, "I feel really queasy."

"Wanna take the day off?"

"No, I'll be ok," she smiled, "You have an appointment with Lucas at four."

She turned to leave, nearly skipping to get away from the smell of cream cheese.

"You remind me of Christina when I accidently brought in my cheese bagel to the closet," he chuckled, "She hurled so much. Pregnancy must be like having a constant stomach flu. Sucks ass."

Betty stopped suddenly in the door frame. It was a combination of Daniels words and that familiar dizzy feeling that made her realise.

_It's been two months...two months and I can't remember if I've had my period. Two months since I slept with him. Oh God._

"Betty?"

Daniel stood in front of her a hand rested on her shoulder. He must have gotten up when she felt faint in the doorway. Concern was etched in his handsome face. He looked like she was about to die.

"Talk to me, are you ok?" he asked.

"I...I feel dizzy...I think I need to sit down."

He guided her over to his chair, and pressed a hand to her forehead.

"God you're sick. I'm calling a doctor," he stated, reaching for the phone. She clutched at his wrist, shaking her head.

"I'm fine honestly I just need..." she dragged off. There it was again for the fourth time this morning. That familiar feeling of bile rising up her throat and the uncontrollable urge to let it out. "I need to get sick!"

She had to hand it to him, Daniel was quick. His bin was in her face before she even got the words out, and she felt his fingers knot in her hair, holding it back from her face. She heaved and dry retched until there was nothing left, and Daniel had gone quite an odd colour himself. He really wasn't good with sick people.

"I'm done," she coughed, pushing the bin away. He reached across his desk, pulling out a handful of Kleenex and handing them to her.

"What do you need? You need water? Or brandy? I can get Amanda to run down and get you brandy? Always makes me feel better!" He rushed the sentence so fast, Betty barely caught it. She always knew when Daniel was worried or didn't know what to do because he would talk so fast only Chinese people could grasp it.

"I think I just need to go home and get cleaned up," she whispered, drawing her hands across her chest, in a sort of self hug. He frowned again. It was quite adorable actually. She liked his concerned best friend look.

"There's something you're not telling me," he sighed, "I thought we agreed no secrets?"

She gazed at him, desperately wanting to let the words out, to let her best friend know what was bubbling in the depths of her mind. She wanted to offload, to vent, but most of all she wanted a hug and to be told it would all be ok.

"We did...."

"It's cancer isn't it? You're dying on me. Goddamn it....this always happens in the movies. Things are going so well, everyone's getting along, two best friends havin' fun, then bang! The girl gets struck down with fatal brain cancer or something..."

Betty laughed, but she laughed even harder when she caught the confused look on face.

"Brain cancer?"

He stared at her blankly. _Not always the sharpest tool. _

"Daniel, I don't have cancer."

He let out a breath he'd been holding for what seemed like an eternity. "What is it then?"

"I...ok...no you're just gonna be mad."

"Try me," he whispered. He was so close now, his hands gripping hers on her lap, his thumb rubbing a patch of skin on her palm.

"About two months ago me and Amanda went out and...I had quite a bit to drink..." she trailed off, tears springing to her eyes.

"Oh god Betty...it's not drugs is it?"

"No!" she gasped, looking disgusted at the thought, "No...I got tipsy and I met a guy. A nice guy. And we drank some more and then he was walking me home and the next thing I know he's kissing me and...."

"Did you use protection?" Daniel asked, without missing a beat.

"I...can't remember."

She said it with such sadness, such regret, that any anger Daniel had towards the stupid girl, any frustration, just disappeared.

"You can yell at me now," she choked, wiping a tear from her cheek.

"I'm not going to yell at you, it was a mistake," he breathed, running a hand through her wavy brown hair. He never realised how soft it was before. Then again he'd never really touched it before.

"Yeah but I don't make those types of mistakes," she whispered, staring down at where his hand sat on her wrist, "I can't. I'm sensible and smart."

He let out a sigh, placing a finger under her chin and tilting her head upwards.

"Anyone ever said to you...errare humanum est?"

She shook her head, sniffling. "No..."

"It's Latin for "to err is human", I learned it in junior high," he told her, keeping his hand under her chin. "We all make mistakes Betty, its part of growing up."

She began sobbing, sharply jutting her head out of his hand and pressing the tissue to her eyes. "I don't know what to do."

He smiled, pulling her hand down again so he could see her bloodshot eyes. "Lucky for us, you got an expert on the subject."

She frowned, looking more than a little confused.

"Wait...that didn't come out right..."

Then he heard it. A laugh. A real, hearty laugh. She even snorted, giggling into her palm.

"I meant 'cause I've had a few exes be in similar situations," he clarified, smiling despite himself.

"Exes?"

"Ok acquaintances."

"Ok...so what do I do?"

She looked so helpless. So lost. Not the Betty Daniel had come to know. It was always her who knew what to do; she was always the one finding a way out.

"First we got to make sure yeah? No point worrying about something that isn't happening. I'll have a town car come get you, take you back to your apartment. You can stop off at a chemist on the way home," he said, sliding his coat over her shoulders. She looked like a drowned rat, her arms lost in the miles of fabric. She looked up at him, tears threatening to fall again.

"You're not coming with me?" she asked very quietly. So quietly Daniel barely caught it. He stopped, he knew he couldn't go, that he shouldn't go, that he had huge amounts of work to do and this would get him in trouble with everyone. But he couldn't send her home alone either.

"Of course I am," he replied, resting his palm on her cheek. For a moment she let herself bury her face further into the inviting warmth of his hand, a move that unnerved them both. He pulled it down, patting her shoulder in the most platonic way possible. It was so forceful she nearly fell over.

_He can be so odd sometimes. _

"Come on then," he said, walking ahead of her. She stood in his office, and it took a minute for her brain to catch up with her warring emotions. She quickly trotted after him, only to find him standing waiting for her in the corridor.

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"How long we got to wait?" she asked. She had put back on his coat, the smell and the feeling comforted her. It sort of was like having an older brother, or even a lover, wrap their clothes around you when you're cold or in trouble.

"Three minutes," he replied without missing a beat. He had done this way too many times. It had kind of lost meaning to him now. Even if the result had been positive, Daddy Meade had always managed to solve said problem. It would often end up with Daniel getting a lecture on his responsibilities, and him never seeing the girl ever again, but hearing stories of her partying on some sunny island somewhere.

God bless Daddy's cheque book.

Daniel never really learned anything from the experience, even to this day, and he'd freely admit it.

"Daniel...I'm scared," Betty choked out, "What if I'm pregnant? I can't bring up a kid. I'm not ready. I mean I love Justin but I couldn't be his Mummy. I have a career and a life and a roommate. I can barely afford this place. I'd need somewhere else...."

"Betty," he uttered her name in a breathy whisper and leaned against the sink, "We can't do these what ifs."

"But...I can't help it. I'm terrified. And I'm alone."

"Hey," he said, sounding a little bit angry. But it was soft angry. He was annoyed at her. "You're not alone. You'd never be alone."

She stared up at him, his blue eyes smouldering. These moments between them were becoming more and more frequent. She wasn't quite sure if she was comfortable with them. Perhaps because she still couldn't fully comprehend them. He was the first to break it, returning his gaze to the test, lying by the sink.

"Who was he?" Daniel asked. She glanced up. He was still looking at the sink. She shrugged, shifting her weight onto her elbows, resting them on her lap.

"Some guy," she replied quietly, "He was nice. Charming. And I was kind of lonely."

"Next time you're lonely call me," he cut in. She looked up, startled.

_What? Is he suggesting what I think he is? _

It took a while for it to register in Daniel's brain but once it had he quickly corrected himself.

"To talk. We can talk."

She nodded, playing with her fingernails, clicking them off one another. "Yeah."

He stole a glance sideways. He'd never seen her look so lost, or so small. Wrapped in his coat, blue tights peeking out from beneath a rainbow coloured skirt. He can't imagine her as a mum right now. Not yet. She's just not ready. It dawned on him then that he had already made up his mind as to what he wanted her to do. Not that she'd ever do it. To him it was just logical really. But then again a little voice told him running away from problems was how he dealt with most of his life. Betty was different. He knew if it was positive they'd have another addition to their family.

It scared the hell out of him. Selfishly he wondered if he'd lose her. After promising her she wouldn't be alone, almost implying he would play some form of Daddy on his days off from Mode, he was already planning his escape.

_Nice Daniel. _

He couldn't help it. It was natural instinct – what he had been taught to do. Suddenly he felt her fingers grip the fabric of his trousers, and startled, he looked down at her tear stained face.

"Please don't let me be alone," she whispered, pleading with him. It was almost as if they'd thought the exact same thing at the exact same time. He fell to his knees in front of her, cradling her face in both hands. She sobbed so hard that for one terrifying second he was afraid she'd fallen into a panic attack, her hands gripping the fabric of his silk shirt so tight he thought it had begun to melt under the pressure.

"Don't leave," she gasped, resting her forehead against his, "I can't do this without my best friend. Don't run away from me please Daniel."

She was crying so hard and he was so scared. He closed his eyes, still pressing his forehead to hers.

"Betty, I'm here," he whispered, "I'm still here."

"Don't go," she cried, pulling him into a hug. He felt her tears soak through the material of his shirt, as she buried her face into his shoulder. "I'm so scared, I don't know what to do. Please don't go."

He hushed her, fighting back tears himself.

_Don't cry._

"We need to look."

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"Morning Daniel!" Betty beamed, handing him his coffee.

"Why are you so chipper?" he asked.

"Cos I've gotten you a present," she grinned. He stopped suddenly, regarding with her surprise and then excitement.

"Really? What you get me?" he asked. He looked like a kid on Christmas morning.

Her arm appeared from behind her back and she produced a leather scrapbook. Confused he looked at her, but as he began to undo the string binding it together she placed a hand over his.

"Open it in the office; I get embarrassed when people open gifts I've given them in front of me."

"Sure. What's this in aid of?" he asked.

"For everything this past month. Especially the whole..." she trailed off and glanced around before beginning again in a low whisper, "pregnancy scare."

He smiled, charmed by her innocence and attempt at being coy.

"You're welcome."

He didn't need to say anymore. Truth be told everything that needed to be said, was spoken in that bathroom when he cradled her trembling, crying. It was just something they knew now. Their importance to one another. It was more complicated than anyone could imagine, but it was theirs. Their one moment of clarity when each person realised what they'd have done for the other.

Daniel still kind of wished he'd have gotten that flying aeroplane as a gift rather than a book though.


End file.
